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Sunday, 3 April 2016

Five Great Dramatic Short Films Available Online

In the context of the
ways in which we categorise our own entertainment, 'drama' is a term
that can feel almost uselessly vague. After all, dramatic moments can
crop up in any story - no matter what genre it defines itself as. A
comedy can still take time for a heartfelt conversation between two
characters. A science fiction, or fantasy, story may be built around
relationships that feel entirely real and genuine. Even a horror story
might take a moment to explore feelings of grief regarding a character's
(doubtlessly horrifying) death.

Pure drama, though, is a genre that defines itself by these moments -
It's a genre that entirely devotes itself to exploring themes that are,
for lack of a better word, dramatic. They can be bleak and depressing
sorts of stories, of course - but, there's also plenty of room for
stories that are hopeful and uplifting. They can be romantic, or tragic,
or tense - exploring subject matter that could range anywhere from love
and family to crime and corruption.

Whatever form they take, these are the sorts of stories that most
depend on establishing a strong sense of connection between the
characters and the audience - due to the simple fact that their success
is almost entirely dependent on convincing you to feel something of what
the characters are feeling.

Below is a list of five great short drama films which, in my opinion, all manage to succeed at this quite admirably.

The Most Beautiful Thing

A socially awkward kid,
who I'm sure many of us can easily relate to, is only barely able to work up to courage to say 'hello' to a girl, only to be immediately disheartened by her complete lack of response. But, as it turns out, she isn't ignoring him - she's actually deaf. After the inevitable awkwardness that results from this unexpected development, the two quickly go on to become close friends. But, with the 'all-important' end of year prom quickly approaching, is there any chance that they could become something more?

As love stories go, The Most Beautiful Thing is, admittedly, a fairly standard one. It is one full of angst and emotion, and one that contains various misunderstandings of both the comical and dramatic variety. It is a short film which fully embraces all of the discomfit of being a teenager in love - and, as a result, it seems to be in almost constant danger of becoming to worst sort of over-blown melodrama. But, thanks in large part to the performances given by its two, very likable, leads it never quite reaches that point - instead proving to be charming, and genuinely touching.

Hitch Hike

An 18 year old boy attempts to track down the mother who had
abandoned him shortly after he was born, and who he has never met -
depending on the kindness of whoever is willing to stop as he attempts
to hitch hike is way across New Zealand. The latest person to pull over,
though, turns out to be an intimidating looking man with a Swastika
tattoo on his face. Naturally, the boy is hesitant about excepting this
man's offer for a ride - but, ultimately, the lack of any better option
convinced him to take the chance. As they set out together, the two
begin to share details of their lives - and, find themselves bonding,
unexpectedly.

Hitch Hike is a film which, obviously, works to play with
the viewer's expectations - and, with the expectations of it's lead
character. Ultimately, neither the intimidating, and seemingly
potentially dangerous, older or the woman who may be the boy's
biological mother turn out to be quite what he expects them to be -
both, for better or worse.

With such a simple story, though, it is obviously the moments of interaction between the two central characters, and the quality of the performances, that makes truly makes Hitch Hike worth watching.

The Last 3 Minutes

Based on the classic idea of a person's life flashing before their eyes in the moments before they day, The Last 3 Minutes
is a simple and elegantly told tale. An elderly man, simply trying to
finish his work for the day, suddenly collapses in pain. Unable to move,
or even call for help, he can do little more but lay there, where he
fell.

For the next three minutes, the viewer is invited to share this man's
thoughts in his final moments - experiencing a jumble of memories from
throughout his long life. What makes this sequence so interesting is the
first person perspective of each of these memories. Whether it's his
life with his wife, his experiences as a soldier, or even his earliest
memories as a child, the viewer shares them with him in a way that can't
help but feel intensely personal.

Stop

Stop is a very
straightforward film. An African-American teenager, just trying to make
his way home after baseball practice, is stopped by police - finding
himself targeted by the 'stop and frisk' practice employed by police in
New York City.

It's a simple film, sure - but, not necessarily an easy one. It does,
after all, play strongly on issues of race and racial profiling, with
the strong possibility that this particular teenager was only stopped
because he happened to be black. Then, there's also the morality of the
whole 'stop and frisk' thing, itself - and, questions of whether it's
right, or even useful.

What's most interesting, though, is the fact that film does not feel
the need to make any grand statements about its subject matter -
instead, opting to simply let us watch the events play out, and inviting
us to form our own opinions. It's the sort of film that I can easily
imagine inspiring very different reactions in different viewers.

We Were Awesome

Returning to their home
town for Thanksgiving, two life-long, though increasingly estranged,
friends head out for a night of drinking. As the night draws to a close,
they find their way to the top of a hill, were they had spent so much
time when they were younger - intending to watch the sun rise, as they
had so many times before.

We Were Awesome is a film strongly based in feelings of
nostalgia for the past - that sense that things were simply better back
then, and the accompanying feeling of regret that your life should have
changed so much. It's an obvious theme, sure - but, it still manages to
be explored in an impressively subtle way, here. It's a film which
manages to be both funny, and a little sad - all entirely centered
around a conversation between these two old friends which manages to
feel genuine, and entirely natural.